1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to duck hunting and more particularly, to a specially designed decoy having an anchor reel mechanism built therein for selectively deploying an anchor on a water bottom, in order to tether the decoy in a selected floating location for hunting purposes. In a preferred embodiment, the decoy is fitted with a hollow keel on the bottom thereof, which keel encloses a spool housing designed to receive a rotatable spool having an anchor line wound thereon, with an anchor fitted to the free end of the anchor line, such that the anchor can be selectively deployed on the water bottom and retracted into an anchor receptacle, as desired. The retraction procedure is effected by using a hand crank, one end of which is inserted in a slot provided in the spool to wind the anchor line on the spool. A threaded plug is inserted in a threaded receptacle provided in the spool housing for selectively engaging the spool and preventing undesirable unwinding of the anchor line and deployment of the anchor from the keel when the decoy is stored. Loosening of the plug in the spool housing facilitates unwinding of the anchor line from the keel and deployment of the anchor in a water body to tether the decoy in a selected location while hunting.
One of the problems realized in the deployment and storage of duck and other waterfowl decoys is that of attaching and deploying the anchor line and anchor which are necessary to tether the decoy in a selected location on a water body. Anchor lines are normally attached to a flange on the flat bottom of the decoy and a strip of lead or other metal is attached to the opposite end of the anchor line to anchor the decoy and prevent the decoy from floating away from the proximity of the blind while duck hunting. When retrieved, the decoy is commonly grasped, the anchor line is wound around the decoy neck and the anchor is left unattached. The decoy is then normally placed in a burlap sack or other container along with other decoys and during the course of transprrtation and storage, the anchor lines and anchors frequently become entangled, thereby necessitating considerable energy and time to separate the decoys before the next hunting trip. An improved variation of this conventional anchor line and anchor deployment technique is the use of lead strips which are sufficiently long to wrap around the neck of the decoy after the anchor line is wound around the decoy neck to prevent, or at least minimize, entanglement of the respective anchor lines when the decoys are collected in a sack or container. However, since lead is a soft material, the bumping of the decoys together in the container sometimes dislodges the anchor from around the decoy neck and the line often becomes entangled with other anchor lines.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of anchors for decoys are known in the art. Typical of these anchors is the Anchor For Decoys detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,589,913, dated Mar. 18, 1952, to F. W. Wenner. The anchor is characterized by a pair of substantially S-shaped jaw members which are reversely superimposed on each other with intermediate portions crossing each other, a pivot eye connecting the members medially to each other and an anchor line connected thereto for opening and closing the jaws at opposite sides of the pivot eye. In open position, the line is allowed to be reeled on and from the jaw members and when the jaw members are in the closed position, the line is retained thereon. A "Cord Reel" is detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,747,814, dated May 29, 1956, to R. S. Taylor. The cord reel includes a reel mechanism having a spring for automatically winding an anchor line thereon. The reel mechanism is typically suspended from the bottom of the decoy and the anchor line is wound thereon, with an anchor attached to the opposite end of the anchor line, such that the anchor line and anchor can be deployed from the reel against spring tension when the decoy is placed in a water body during hunting. Furthermore, when the decoy is retrieved, the anchor line is automatically wound on a drum inside the reel mechanism pursuant to spring tension and the anchor is retracted to a position immediately beneath the reel mechanism for storage purposes. U.S. Pat. No. 2,917,857, dated Dec.22, 1959, to F. Muszynski, details a "Duck Decoy" provided with an internal spool which contains a length of anchor line, to which is attached an anchor. The spool mechanism is fitted with a disengageable clutch mechanism which facilitates free rotational movement of the anchor line storage reel with the clutch mechanism disengaged and permits the anchor line to be adjusted for any water depth. A spring facilitates rewinding of the anchor line on the spool and retrieving of the anchor to a position adjacent the bottom of the decoy when the decoy is to be stored. U.S. Pat. No. 3,079,719, dated Mar. 5, 1963, also to F. Muszynski, details a "Duck Decoy" which is similar to the duck decoy detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,917,857. The decoy is characterized by an internally-mounted spool and spring mechanism which includes a torsion spring and a trip apparatus to facilitate unwinding of an anchor line from the spool against the spring tension to a selected depth for anchoring the decoy in a water body and tripping the spring mechanism to rewind the anchor line on the spool and retract the anchor to the decoy during storage. A "Reel for Anchoring Wild Fowl Decoys" is detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,340,192, dated July 20, 1982, to James O. Burris, III. The reel is suspended inside the hollow interior of the decoy and includes a housing provided with a rotatable, spring-loaded spool containing a length of anchor line, to the end of which is attached an anchor. The reel is further provided with a trip mechanism, in order to facilitate extension of a selected length of line from the rotating drum or spool, deployment of the anchor in a selected depth in the water body to tether the decoy in a selected location and subsequent tripping of the trip mechanism to allow spring tension to rewind the spool and retrieve the anchor inside the decoy.
It is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved decoy having an anchor reel built therein, which anchor reel is characterized by a rotatable spool mounted in a keel extending from the bottom of the decoy, which spool is provided with a length of anchor line having an anchor attached to the free end thereof, the rotation of which spool is controlled by a threaded plug seated in the keel and designed to selectively engage the spool, control rotation of the spool and facilitate deployment of the anchor line and anchor to and from the keel.
Another object of this invention is to provide a waterfowl decoy having a keel mounted on the bottom side thereof, which keel is fitted with a spool housing containing a rotating spool, the rotation of which spool is controlled by a plug threaded in the spool housing for selective engagement with the spool, with an anchor line wound on the spool, in order to selectively deploy an anchor on a water bottom and tether the decoy in a selected location while hunting waterfowl.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a duck or goose decoy having a spool rotatably mounted in a spool housing provided in a hollow, bottom-mounted keel, which spool is provided with a length of anchor line having the free end attached to an anchor and further including a plug threaded in the spool housing for selectively engaging and disengaging the spool to deploy the anchor and subsequently rewind the anchor line on the spool by means of a removable crank mechanism which is adapted to engage the spool.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a duck decoy having a hollow keel which encloses a spool housing containing a rotatable spool having a slot provided therein for insertion of a crank, with an anchor line wound on the spool and an anchor attached to the free end of the anchor line, such that the anchor can be selectively deployed on the bottom of a water body by rotation of the spool and retrieved from the water body by insertion of the crank into engagement with the spool and rotation of the spool to rewind the anchor line on the spool and maintain the anchor in the keel, responsive to selectively loosening and tightening a plug threaded in the spool housing.